Conservation and Management of Rare and Endangered in State

Julie Combs, Ph.D. School of Forest Resources August 8, 2011 Botany 317

Yakima Training Center, Eastern Washington Outline •! Define rarity •! Abiotic, biotic and human factors •! Examples of rare plants in WA and UW research conducted on rare taxa •! Who is responsible for management and conservation of rare plant taxa? •! Tools for conservation In situ vs. Ex situ conservation •! What you can do to contribute to the conservation effort Defining Rarity… •! Abundance •! Range size •! Habitat specificity •! Temporal persistence (e.g., taxon age) •! Gene flow •! Genetic diversity •! Endemism (i.e., restricted to particular place) •! Taxonomic distinctness (i.e., monotypic taxon) •! Threat (probability of, or time to, extinction) (Gaston 1994) Rarity…an ecological concept 7 Forms of Rarity (Rabinowitz 1981) •! Geographic range (small or large) •! Local population size (small or large) •! Habitat specificity (wide or narrow)

Fritillaria camschatcensis L. Ker-Gawl Hackelia venusta (Piper) St. John (Black lily) (Showy stickseed) •! Large range •! Small range •! Few individuals in each population •! Few individuals in each population •! Found in several habitats (e.g., bogs, •! Found in specific habitat wetlands, forest) (e.g., granitic soils) Global distribution: One population in WA! Defining Rarity…a simple definition

The state of having low abundance (individuals and/or populations) and/or small geographic range. Rarity is a scale-dependent concept. (Gaston 1994)

Delphinium viridescens Wenatchee larkspur, State Threatened USFWS Species of Concern Photo by John Gamon Abiotic-Biotic Factors of Rarity •! Habitat specificity (vernal pools, serpentine soil) •! Climate •! Pathogens, herbivores, lack of pollinators…) •! Breeding systems that tend toward self- compatibility •! Higher levels of homozygosity (i.e., loss of genetic diversity) •! Limited dispersal ability •! Paleo-endemic/neo-endemic

Lasthenia glaberrima Smooth goldfields , State Endangered www.vernalpools.org Anthropogenic Factors of Rarity

•! Habitat loss /degradation/fragmentation •! Agriculture/grazing •! Pollution and contamination •! Climate change (i.e., possible shift species ranges or…extinction? •! Invasion of non-native species (i.e., competition w/ cheatgrass) •! Pathogens and herbivores

Lasthenia glaberrima Smooth goldfields , State Endangered www.vernalpools.org geyeri A. Gray Geyer's milk-vetch WA State Threatened Phacelia lenta Piper sticky phacelia State Threatened, USFWS Species of Concern

Long-exerted purple filaments •! Currently known only from Douglas County, WA, from an area approximately 12 x 8 miles •! Habitat: Basalt cliffs and ledges and cracks in basalt outcrops Dougl. ssp. kincaidii Kincaid’s sulfur lupine State Endangered, USFWS Threatened

Known distribution of Lupinus sulphureus ssp. kincaidii in Washington State

photo Charlene Simpson •! Regional endemic currently known from 2 locations in Washington less than a mile www.fws.gov apart Lupinus sulphureus ssp. kincaidii is •! Upland prairie and oak woodland habitat in the primary host plant of the Lewis County,WA and Douglas County Endangered Fender’s blue butterfly Oregon (Icaricia icarioides fenderi). Astragalus arthurii M.E. Jones Arthur’s milkvetch Washington State Sensitive Regional endemic Fritillaria camschatcensis L. Ker-Gawl Black lily State Sensitive Pan-Pacific in distribution

Alaine counts individuals in a Washington estuary. •! Occurs wet meadows, marshes, sphagnum bogs, wet coniferous forested wetlands Alaine Sommargren’s •! Threats: timber harvesting, M.S. work trampling, hydraulic changes, seed collecting Trifolium thompsonii Morton Thompson’s clover State Threatened USFWS Species of Concern

Known distribution

Richy Harrod’s Ph.D. work

•! Endemic to southeastern Chelan County and adjacent Douglas County, WA. •! Threats: Competition with cheatgrass () and knapweed (Centaurea diffusa), habitat conversion Sidalcea oregana (Nutt.) Gray var. calva C.L. Hitchcock Wenatchee checkermallow State Endangered, USFWS Endangered

Known distribution of Sidalcea oregana var. calva in Washington State •! Threats: Habitat conversion, fire suppression, forest encroachment, insect herbivory •! Habitat: Open meadows with coniferous forests dominated by Pinus ponderosa and Pseudotsuga menziesii

Tara Goldsmith’s M.S. work Botanists from the Forest Service and Washington State Department of Natural Resources Natural Heritage Program (WNHP) conduct a plant survey. Photos by Ben Legler. Castilleja levisecta Golden paintbrush State Endangered, USFWS Threatened

Reintroduction of Golden Paintbrush Known distribution (Castilleja levisecta) to Puget Sound Prairies of Castilleja levisecta in Washington State Historic – open circles (older than 1980)

•! Occurs in open grasslands in the Puget Trough •! Currently known only from 10 sites in Washington and two in British Columbia. Wendy Brown’s http://courses.washington.edu/rarecare/Research %20Page%204.htm M.S. work Hackelia venusta (Piper) St. John showy stickseed State Endangered, USFWS Endangered

Known distribution of Hackelia venusta in Washington State Historic – Open circle

•! Local endemic Wenatchee Photos Jeanne Taylor Mountains, Chelan County, WA. •! Currently only one extant population •! Dry, loose granitic sand and crevices in granite or talus

Jeanne Taylor’s

Photo Ed Guerrant M.S. work Astragalus sinuatus Piper Whited’s milk-vetch State Endangered, USFWS Species of Concern

Known distribution in Washington State

•! Narrow endemic currently known from 8 locations in Washington •! Threat: grazing, competition w/ cheatgrass, insect herbivory How many rare and imperiled plants in Washington State? State Status No. Federal Status No. (WNHP) species (USFWS) species Endangered 42 Listed Endangered 4 Threatened 118 Listed Threatened 6 Sensitive 139 Candidate 3 Extinct/Extripated 18 Species of Concern 52 Review 1 86 Review 2 13 Total 416 Total 65 Source: http://www1.dnr.wa.gov/nhp/refdesk/lists/plantrnk.html

< 5% of WA ETS species have legal protection

Ross’s avens (Geum rossii var. depressum) State endangered Photo by Wendy Gibble Management, Conservation and Protection Federal •! U.S Fish and Wildlife Service (Endangered Species Act 1973) •! U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management State •! Department of Natural Resources (DNR): Washington Natural Heritage Program (WNHP) •! Inventory 416 rare plants in WA •! Natural Area Preserve (NAP 30,900 acres) and Natural Resource Conservation Area (NRCA, 86,500 acres in Washington State

Smoky Mountain sedge (Carex proposita) State threatened Photo: Wendy Gibble Management, Conservation and Protection Private Non-Profit •! Nature Conservancy •! Center for Plant Conservation Network •! Washington State Native Plant Society •! Plant Conservation Alliance (Seeds of Success program) Institutional •! Applied Academic Research •! Rare Plant Care and Conservation, UW Botanic Gardens

Pale alpine forget-me-not (Eritrichium nanum var. elongatum) State sensitive Photo: Richard Ramsden Management, Conservation and Protection Rare Plant Care and Conservation UW Botanic Gardens

Mission: Volunteer Sarah Bailey prepares School of Forest Resources •! Ex situ and In situ Sidalcea nelsoniana seeds for College of the Environment conservation longterm storage in the Miller Seed Vault. •! Rare plant monitoring •! Research •! Reintroduction •! Education •! Volunteers help monitor Currently over 150 volunteers ~ 370 rare and imperiled plants

http://courses.washington.edu/rarecare/ Collaboration in Conservation ~ Rare Plant Monitoring~ Project partners: UW Rare Care and Washington Natural Heritage Program (WNHP)

Biotics: Biodiversity Database Rare Care monitoring goal: revisit known occurrences of rare plants and document species status and identify potential threats. Pale alpine forget-me-not (Eritrichium nanum var. elongatum), State sensitive Photo: Richard Ramsden How do we conserve? Ex situ versus In situ Conservation Seed Banks

Living Collections Research and Reintroductions

Tissue Culture Land conservation Natural Area Preserve, Eastern WA How can you be involved in rare and endangered species conservation? •! Learn about your native flora and be informed on conservation issues •! Volunteer for local activities – Invasive species removals, restoration plantings, Rare Care monitoring and seed collection •! Learn about invasive species and avoid using them in your yard •! Share what you know with friends, neighbors and family •! Inform you local representatives on plant conservation issues •! Support conservation organizations and their budgets

Delphinium viridescens Wenatchee larkspur (WA State Threatened) Resources to learn more about rare and endangered Washington flora

•! Dept. of Natural Resources Washington Natural Heritage Program website: http://www.dnr.wa.gov/nhp •! Rare Plant Care and Conservation (UW) website: http:// courses.washington.edu/rarecare/index.htm •! Washington Native Plant Society website: http:// www.wnps.org •! Center for Plant Conservation website: http:// www.centerforplantconservation.org/ •! U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Endangered Species Program website: http://www.fws.gov/endangered/index.html Delphinium viridescens Wenatchee larkspur (WA State Threatened)